North Eastern Handicrafts & Handlooms Development Corporation

The northeastern region of the country is thickly forested and has an economy driven by small scale production of indigenous crafts from forest resources. The population of the area consists of a significant percentage of tribal people who possess immense traditional knowledge in handicrafts and handlooms. The North Eastern Handicrafts & Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC) was formed with the goal of preserving this rich heritage and making it productive for the economy. The NEHHDC under the Ministry of development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), has been classified as Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) based on qualitative and quantitative criteria.

Objectives of NEHHDC

The North Eastern Handicrafts & Handlooms Development Corporation has the following objectives:

To promote the traditional crafts of the northeastern region
Offer support in the form of financial and marketing assistance
Connect the craftspeople of the northeast with consumers from across the country
Offer a unique cultural experience to the consumers
To support individual artisans, bussing entrepreneurs, cooperatives and other establishments in this sector
Improve the quality of the arts and crafts produced
Increase the productivity of the craftspeople

The vision of the NEHHDC is to achieve a marked improvement in the quality of life of artisans, small entrepreneurs, craftsmen, and weavers. This is achieved by creating and sustaining a healthy demand for their products both in domestic and foreign markets. The stated mission of the corporation is threefold:

Timely design, technical and skill interventions to produce superior quality handicrafts
Organised product procurement at competitive rates to increase the income of the artisans
Create a niche for these handicrafts in markets both in India and abroad

Activities of NHHDC

In order to achieve its goals, the North East Handicrafts & Handlooms Development Corporation undertakes activities such as:

Monetary support to help meet the cost of production.
Technical training workshops to improve or modernise the methods of production without compromising traditional legacy.
Capacity building and skill upgradation programmes to boost production and meet rising demand.
Create and operate sales promotion centres and showrooms to showcase the products and make them more accessible to consumers.
Streamline production activities by encouraging artisans to engage with cooperatives or the corporation’s own production centres.
Launch new schemes and implement existing ones based on the needs of the handicrafts and allied products sector.
Track region-wise demand for various products and set up production centres accordingly.

Crafts and Areas Covered

Considering the richness of forest produce and the diversity of tribes in the area, the North East boasts of a wide range of handicrafts. The NEHHDC extends coverage to all of those crafts, which can be roughly grouped into the following major categories:

Carpet and other floor coverings
Art, metalware and woodware
Hand-printed textiles and scarves
Embroidered and crocheted goods
Decorative shawls
Zari and zari-based textiles
Handmade jewellery
Cane and bamboo products
Handlooms weaved products and apparel
Other crafts

Implementation Strategies

For implementation purpose, the NEHHDC has set up organisations across the country.

‘Purbashree’ Emporia has been established as sales centres to encourage purchase among consumers. They source products from craftsmen and stock them for sales. Currently, these emporia are located in Guwahati, Shillong, New Delhi and Kolkata.
Apart from the emporia, there are two sales promotion offices located at Chennai and Bangalore. These offices promote northeastern handicrafts in the southern part of the country and at urban centres.

Design Bank

The North Eastern Handicrafts & Handlooms Development Corporation operates a design bank to promote innovation and facilitate customisation of products.
It displays an array of designs for the clients to choose from.
Clients can also request custom designs by specifying their needs and placing an order.
Artisan groups and bussing entrepreneurs have the option of buying designs for making their handicrafts and handloom products.
For designers, it offers a platform to showcase and update their skills.
It also offers information and other resources regarding the latest designs.

Samanvay Portal

NEHHDC is a part of Samanvay, a knowledge management portal for CPSEs across India that also works as a search engine. It can be used for business building purposes.
To gather information and share ideas regarding employee experiences, documents, standard operating procedures, and other processes.
To build a network and useful business contacts.
To find inspiration and gain knowledge about best practices.
To build a strong profile and help market oneself.
To search for authentic, verified information from specialists all over the country.

For more information, please visit the official site of the portal: https://samanvay.cpse.in/

Other Services Offered

The NEHHDC offers a range of services for the benefit of the craftspeople. Some of them include:

Exhibitions
Craft bazaars
Special trade expos across the country to showcase the beauty and utility of northeastern handicrafts.

The northeastern crafts museum: Open to the public, this museum exhibits artefacts and traditional crafts from across the region. They are the perfect examples of the rich heritage and legacy of indigenous craftsmanship.

Registration Process

To make use of the services and become beneficiaries of the programmes of NEHHDC, artisans can register themselves with the corporation. Craftspeople may consider registering themselves for the following purposes:

To supply their products to the NEHHDC marketing centres at fair prices
To display their products at exhibitions and fairs organised across the country
To participate in skill development workshops to improve their techniques

For registration, the following details are required:

Personal contact details such as e-mail ID and telephone numbers
Photograph for ID card
Bank account details for transaction purpose
Aadhaar number
Artisan ID card number if already available
Details regarding production unit and annual turnover
Information about any awards or certificates received

The registration forms can be found online at the official website: https://nehhdc.com/ For registering offline, applicants may approach the NEHHDC corporate office located at Bamunimaidan in Guwahati.